As the NHL gears up for the second round of the playoffs, Rachel Doerrie has four player prop trends to consider.
Round 1 is over, and Round 2 beckons. There are many ways to bet on the NHL playoffs – however, I like to stick to the lines and players I trust.
Betting on outcomes can be futile in the playoffs as the lineups are secretive, and the officiating leaves a lot to be desired. To get ready for the second round, I’ve compiled a few player props to consider, as these lines hit consistently in the first round.
Evan Bouchard Assist
Bouchard has been a key piece on the back end for Edmonton, and he looks really comfortable in his role. He’s starting to see more offensive zone time with McDavid and Draisaitl, which is a recipe for points.
Bouchard has recorded at least one assist in his last five games, and given how awful the Vegas penalty kill was in the first round, I expect he will have opportunities in this series to continue feeding his teammates.
He’s very good at walking the line to create shooting lanes and has started to fake the shot and opt to pass for the easy tap-in. I expect Vegas to block a lot of point shots in this series, meaning Bouchard will get his opportunities to find passing lanes for scoring chances.
Marner Assist and Over 1.5 points
One of the NHL’s best players in the first round is likely to be leaned on heavily in Round 2. Toronto and Florida are gifted offensively, and Marner leads the way.
In a series that will likely see the most goals scored, expect Marner to be a big part of that. He registered an assist in five of the six games against Tampa Bay, and with Florida’s penalty kill struggling, he will have chances to put up points.
Marner is most dangerous in the first four games of series, where he registers two points more often than not. Given the high octane and emotional rollercoasters that both teams went through in the first round, Marner may use a few lapses in judgment to his advantage early in the series. He’s a consistent point producer, and there is no reason to think his production will decline in the second round.
Roope Hintz Point
Hintz was a key reason for Dallas advancing in the first round, and he leads the playoffs in points. Raise your hand if you had that on the bingo card.
Hintz stepped up in the absence of Joe Pavelski and provided a jolt of offense to the Stars. The Stars are the better team in this series – Hintz and Robertson were great running mates all year in Dallas and will be called upon to score in this round.
I expect this to be the lowest-scoring series, given Oettinger and the recent play of Grubauer, but Dallas will need Hintz to be a difference-maker. He registered points in five of the six games against Minnesota and thrives in tight-checking games.
Brent Burns Over 3.5 Shots
Brent Burns was a shooting gallery all season and decided to ratchet it up a notch in the first round.
New Jersey is tight defensively, but they don’t block as many shots as other teams. Burns can be erratic with his shot, but he gets no shortage of attempts per game and has been finding the target consistently in the playoffs. He recorded 14 shots in five games against New Jersey this year and had five or more shots in four of the six games in the first round. He went over his line of 3.5 in five of six as one of Carolina’s primary shooters.
Carolina loves to fire it from the point, and Burns has the ultimate green light. Including him in a same-game parlay at 3-plus or taking him straight at over 3.5 shots has been a good bet so far.
As always, please play responsibly.